CUNY-India Climate Collaborative Funded through the US State Dept/US Consulate in Hyderabad, India
This blog summarizes all the activities of the CUNY - India Climate Collaborative US State Department/US Consulate Hyderabad, India funded public diplomacy grant award to Principal Investigators (PIs) Prof. Neal Phillip and Paramita Sen of Bronx Community College (BCC) of the City University of New York (CUNY). The PIs installed 6 weather stations in Orissa (Sri Sri University & XIM University), Andhra Pradesh (Vignan IIT), and Telangana (Anurag University, JNT University, Meridian Schools), to conduct climate change literacy workshops for over 5,000 participants using Collective Social Learning/Thematic Communication techniques. The project dates in India were September 15 - September 30, 2022. A team comprising of PIs Phillip and Sen, BCC President Thomas Isekenegbe, CUNY CREST Institute Executive Director, Dr Reza Khanbilvardi, CUNY CREST Institute Deputy Director, Dr Shakila Merchant, and CUNY CREST Institute Senior Scientist Dr Tarendra Lakhankar accompanied PIs Phillip traveled to India September 15 - 30, 2022 to execute the program. In the three months prior to the travel to India, PIs Phillip and Sen logged over 100 hrs of Zoom meetings, phone calls and Whatsapp messages with the US Consulate Hyderabad POC, Mr Salil Kader, with Mr Prakash Rao (Telangana Prakash), Chair of the Telangana State Water Resources Development Corporation, with Dr Snehal Donde (chair of SKECT Women Water Warriors), with Dean Satpathy of Sri Sri University, with Prof. Sabina Mary Peters of XIM University, with Dr. V. Madhusudhan Rao (Rector of Vignan IIT), with Dr Usha Reddy of Meridian Schools, with Prof. S. Ramachandram (Vice-Chancellor Anurag University), with Prof. Katta Narasimha Reddy (VC - JNT University). Though the grant was for just one year, the US Consulate - Hyderabad was impressed with the outcomes and have doubled the funding for a Phase II of the project in 2023.